He Didn't Want To Lose Her
by Pandaluver11
Summary: What happened the next morning after Kushina was rescued by Minato from those awful kidnappers? How did their love blossom after that? Let's find out!
1. Minato and Kushina

_I came to save **you.**_

_**Your** hair is beautiful so I noticed right away._

_**You're** strong in both body and spirit._

_I didn't want to lose **you.**_

Minato's words echoed in Kushina's head as she lay in bed, asleep. She had been through a lot in one night, and had fallen asleep in his arms just before they reached Konoha. Luckily, Minato was able to get her into the hospital without any trouble.

The events of the night before had spread like wild fire in Konoha after they learned that they were now, officially, at war with The Land of the Cloud. Many people wondered why they took Kushina and not someone more important. It just didn't seem right to them. Why would they want a young girl like her?

The truth was that Kushina had special chakra, and they wanted it. Very few people knew about that, though, and so the Hokage just told everyone that they probably just picked someone that looked weak so they could hold someone up for ransom. After that was said, everyone dropped the topic to focus on the war in front of them... except Minato. He urged the Hokage to tell him the real reason they wanted Kushina.

He hadn't shown it, but Minato had been really scarred the night before when he found out Kushina had been kidnapped. The one and only girl he loved was being taken away and he couldn't let that happen so he had gone after her. And immediately picked up on the trail she had left for someone to find her... if anyone would even bother to.

Kushina had lost all hope in the end, but Minato had saved her just in time and carried her back to her home. Konoha. He told her that her home was in the Leaf Village and that she belonged there with them. He had always thought of her as one of them, not an outsider like many others in Konoha had so rudely said to her. She had always felt left out and alone... but Minato was there for her now. He had always been watching, but he knew she was strong enough to take care of herself no matter how many times she got picked on. No matter much he wanted to help her.

Kushina began suddenly to stir at around 9 o'clock that morning and soon after her eyes fluttered open. She glanced around the room. Her eyes were only half open. She still felt very weak from the night before. Slowly she began to sit up. Rubbing her sore head, the memories of last night were replaying in her mind. Her cheeks filled with blush as she remembered how that night ended.

Kushina almost sprung out of bed as she was surprised when the door suddenly opened, but she stopped herself because of the pain in her body. She groaned in pain for a short moment when she had suddenly tried to move.

"Kushina? Don't move! You're still recovering!" came a familiar voice from the door. Kushina looked up and saw her friend, Mikoto. Kushina blinked, wondering why she was here. "Mikoto...?"

Mikoto ran to the side of Kushina's bed and gently made her lay back down. "Rest, Kushina... You're okay now." she smiled and sat down on the stool next to her bed.

Kushina just looked puzzled. "What happened... why am I here? Last I remember I was outside in a forest..." she asked, rubbing her head again as it seemed to pound like a drum. At the moment, Konoha was in chaos. Parents began to worry that their child would be next. The Hokage was busy rounding up their best ninja and ANBU for the war. Mikoto explained this after telling Kushina that Minato had brought her here around 2 o'clock in the morning. She also told her that he hadn't slept a wink since.

Mikoto sighed happily. "I'm so glad you're back... now you can tell me all the details about how Minato rescued you!" she teased, followed by giggling. "Well..." Kushina began, "I don't remember all that much..." she admitted.

"Awww... that's too bad! I bet he was super heroic and cool!" she squealed. Mikoto had always been a fan of her teammate, Minato, and never wasted a moment to brag about how strong, smart, and handsome he was. Kushina had never really been listening to her talk about him, though, since he had never caught her interest... until now.

"Mikoto, it wasn't as exciting as you're probably imagining it to be..." Kushina sighed, rolling her eyes at her friend. Just then she heard another familiar voice coming towards the door to her room. "Hey, Mikoto, how's Kushina?" Minato asked as he arrived at the door. Kushina's cheeks filled with blush when she saw him, but it quickly faded when she noticed he looked really tired... and yet, he still smiled at her when he saw she was awake.

"Hey, Minato! Kushina just woke up!" Mikoto reported cheerfully. "That's good." Minato replied and walked into the room. "How are you feeling?" he asked kindly. "Uhh.." Kushina paused, but not for very long. "I'm tired, and sore..." she answered, then quickly added in an out-burst, "And I'm really hungry! I didn't get to have dinner last night, ya know!"

Kushina blushed and looked away as soon as she noticed she had let herself ramble. Mikoto giggled, and Minato just smiled at Kushina, holding back a chuckle. He was glad she was back to normal, since last night she had barely any energy to stay awake for so long. "I'll ask the nurse to bring in some food, okay?" and with that said, Mikoto left the two of them alone while she went to look for a nurse to bring Kushina some food.

There was silence for a moment. "Um... Mikoto told me that..." Kushina began, looking down at her hands, "A war is starting..." After finishing her sentence she glanced at Minato, who quietly nodded in reply. He looked really exhausted. She guessed that he had probably been talking with the Hokage about that all morning.

Slowly Kushina made her way up until she could sit up properly. Minato looked worriedly at her, "Are you sure you should be sitting up?" he asked. Kushina shook her head, "I don't think I should... but I want to. I can't just lay around all morning." she replied firmly.

Then Minato slowly stood up, and smiled at her. "Well, if you need anything just let me know." he said and turned to the door to leave. He didn't want to bother her while she was recovering from getting beaten, kidnapped, and forced to walk all the way from her house to the border of The Land of Fire. And besides, he didn't know how he could be of any help to her right now.

"Wait!" she said suddenly. He stopped and turned around, looking at her curiously. She then signaled him to come back, and so he walked back over to her and waited for further orders. He was very puzzled as to why she wanted him to come back. He was standing right next to her as she was still sitting in her bed, and he felt his heart begin to race when he heard her speak again, but this time softer. "Closer." was all she said.

Minato blinked, his cheeks turned red the closer he leaned towards her. He stopped about seven inches away from her face. "Now what?" he asked, and just as soon as he said that Kushina had grabbed him by the arm, and quickly pulled him even closer. For a moment they were just starring into eachother's eyes, but then Kushina closed hers and kissed him right on the lips. Minato was too shocked to move now. After a few seconds Kushina pulled away, blushing insanely. "T-that's for r-rescuing me..." she said quickly, looking down at her hands.

Minato smiled, then leaned forward and kissed her cheek. "Thank you, Kushina." he said softly then pulled away, and left for the door once again. "No... Thank you, Minato..." she whispered after he had left the room. Smiling, her head fell back onto her pillow as she sighed happily to herself.

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><p><strong>Heeeyyyy so I saw the nest episode of Shippuden and haven't stopped fangirling since! XD I mean, THE EPISODE WAS AMAZINGGGGG!<strong>

**So I wrote this out. I hope you like it! :3**

**As you probably noticed, this takes place right after Minato rescued Kushina from those awful men... I'm thinking about writing more about the other couples from back before the current generation existed!**

**Hmmm, I think I'll do Fugaku and Mikoto next~ X3 (FYI: Itachi and Sasuke's parents.)**

**SO ANYWAY! I guess we'll see. ;)**

**Thanks again for reading! :D**

**Hugs and cake,**

_**~Panda-chiii**_


	2. Fugaku and Mikoto

Fugaku, the young soon-to-be-master of the Uchiha clan, yawned as he arrived at the hospital. He heard from his father that his teammate, Kushina, had be kidnapped the previous night and now they were at war. But he just sighed, "So troublesome..." he grmubled and paused as he thought to himself. Then adding, "Hmm... That seems to be what Shikaku would say right about now."

Walking in he was greeted by a nurse. "Hello, sir! Would you like to buy some flowers for whoever you are visiting today?" she asked. Fugaku nodded after glancing at all the flowers she had behind her. He ended up getting two roses. One red and one pink. He pulled the pink one up to his nose and sniffed it. "Hm, smells really nice." he commented before accidentally letting the pink rose touch his lips. "Ack! I got rose on my mouth.." he grumbled and wiped his mouth.

After walking down the hall for only about a minute he perked up when he saw up ahead was his one true love; Mikoto! She was pushing a cart full of ramen, and he could only guess who she was going to with all of that. He walked a little faster to her after noticing she was having some trouble pushing it all. Although, she probably wasn't going to admit it.

Just before Fugaku could get there he saw some random guy come up to her and began to help her. Fugaku silently came up from behind him and tapped his shoulder. The guy looked over at Fugaku and was met with a furious Sharingan glare.

"O-on second thought..I gotta g-go do something now! Bye!" he said quickly and ran away. "Well, how rude!" complained Mikoto as she got ready to continue to push the cart again. Fugaku put his hands on the handle of the cart first and smiled at Mikoto, "Want some help?" he asked. Mikoto shrugged, "Are you busy?" she inquired. Fugaku shook his head, "I'm just going to check up on Kushina." he explained.

Mikoto smiled happily and nodded, "Okay, I am too! Although I already visited." She said and giggled. "She's hungry so I'm bringing her some food since the other nurses are too busy to take it to her..." she explained as they walked together to Kushina's hospital room.

On the way they saw Minato walking out of her room. Rather happy at that. "Hey Minato! What's up?" Fugaku greeted him. Minato smiled, "Not much, how about you?" he asked, smirking and glancing at the roses Fugaku had, then at Mikoto, then back at Fugaku. He blushed, and glared, but didn't scare Minato even the slightest. Mikoto looked back and forth at them, but didn't understand what was going on.

"Anyways, Kushina's still really hungry so you'd better hurry." Minato explained before waving to them and walking away. "You sure you don't want to feed her yourself?" Fugaku asked, stopping Minato in his tracks. "Oooh! Is that a yes?" Mikoto giggled. Minato looked back at them, obviously embarrassed, "Shut up you guys." he grumbled and left. They both noticed he didn't say he didn't want to feed her and grinned at eachother before laughing together. Then they went into Kushina's room and gave her the big cart of ramen.

"Oh, Kushina, which one do you want?" he asked and held up the two roses. Kushina glanced at them as she ate. "Neither if they're from you." she answered bluntly. Fugaku sighed angrily. "No no, they're from Minato, but he wasn't sure which one you wanted so he bought two colors. He told me to ask you since he had to leave." he lied. Usually Kushina caught these lies, but this time it looked like she bought it!

She had immediately perked up when he said Minato's name and blushed as she looked at the roses. "Then... the red one." she replied before continuing to eat. Fugaku chuckled and put the rose in a vase next to her bed.

Mikoto teased Kushina for a few minutes. Then she left with Fugaku and then walked outside for a bit. "So why'd you get Kushina a rose?" she asked curiously. Fugaku was surprised by this question. "A little bird once told me that flowers give girls strength when they're down or sick." he explained, referring to her. Mikoto laughed, "Nooo, she only gets strength when it's from the one she loves!" she corrected and continued to laugh. Fugaku just rolled his eyes.

"I don't think Kushina bought your lie this time either, but the simple thought of the one she loved giving her a rose swayed her." Mikoto said seriously, but still smiling softly.

Fugaku looked down at the pink rose he was holding in his hand. He swallowed nervously before handing it to her. "Do you want it?" he asked, blushing. Mikoto looked surprised. Then she got a sly smirk. "Well, not if it's from you." she joked, half quoting Kushina, and giggled. Fugaku stopped and gently put his hand on her shoulder and pulled, turning her to face him. "I'm serious, Mikoto, do you want it or not?" he asked before adding, "I can't read your mind." He gazed into her eyes, making her blush.

Looking nervously back at the rose, she slowly took it, and lifted it to her nose as she smelled it. It was fresh in bloom so it smelled wonderful. Mikoto smiled and looked back up at Fugaku. "Thanks! I feel stronger already!" she said happily. Fugaku looked confused. "I thought you said that you only get the strength part if it's from the one you love?" he asked, and began smirking. Mikoto blushed again, "T-that was a joke!" she argued. "Sure sure~" he teased and gave her a pat on the head before he began walking away. "Grrr! Fugakuuu!" she whined, shaking her fist at him. "Get better soon!" he called back cheerfully.

"What? I'm not sick!" she yelled. "You're face is red, though. I think you should go to the hospital... Oh look!" he explained and then pointed to the hospital in front of them, "There's one now!" he laughed and he continued to walk away. Leaving her standing there.

Mikoto sighed, giving up and looking back at the pink rose he had given her. Holding it to her lips, she continued to blush. "Geez, what are you thinking... Fugaku..." she said to herself, then left to go home.

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><p><strong>Oh look! I ended up writing it afterall! :D Hee hee~<strong>

**Oh.. And just to explain some of my thought as to who's on what team I think Minato, Mikoto, and that other guy(does anyone know his name?) are on Jiraiya's team, and Kushina, Fugaku, and Hiashi(Hinata and Hinabi's father, Neji's uncle) are on a team together as well. Me and my sister roleplay this set-up ALL THE TIME and it's SOOO much fun! XD**

**I don't know what I'll write about next, though... Maybe more Kushina and Minato? ;D I put in a little bit of it in this chapter because I couldn't help it... They are just too cute!**

**I'm trying to decide from these three(and eventually I'll have done all of them anyways): Minato & Kushina, Hiashi & Hina(This is his future wife. I made up a name for her since she is unnamed at the moment), and Shikaku & Yoshino. I wonder which one I should do?~ :3**

**Anyways, I know Fugaku and Mikoto's relationship hasn't been shown that much, or at all for that matter, but this is how I picture it to be. I think they both tease eachother a lot but they have their moments. ;)**

**Thank you SOOOO much for reading! :D And thank you for reviewing as well! I'm glad people like this story. :)**

**Oh, and sorry there was no kiss but I thought that since I did two of those last time I should lay off them for a bit... What do you think? :P**

**Hugs and cake,**

**_~Panda-chiii_**


	3. Fear of Losing Him

She had been beaten, taken hostage, and pretty much scarred for life. But was that enough to keep her in the hospital?

"No way! I am NOT staying here for a _whole week_!" Kushina yelled at the already frightened nurse.

As you can see, she was not thrilled to be in the hospital.

Kushina threw her pillow at the nurse to chase her off, and when she was gone she quickly put on her regular clothes that were neatly placed on a chair by her bed.

After that she opened her window, jumped out, and landed on her feet. Although she felt a little dizzy from moving so quickly and so suddenly. She had been in the hospital for one full day and that was more than enough for her.

She quickly ran... well, anywhere. The nurses had called the ANBU and told them that Kushina had escaped, and because she was the jinchuriki they had to get her back at all costs. Kushina tried to think of a place to hide while running.

"Home? No, that's the first place they'd look... Ramen shop? No, they'd look there next..." she said as she ran by the book shop, looking in every direction possible. "Where is the last place they'd look?" she questioned herself as she jumped over an old lady and her garden. Then she ran down the street, dodging everything in her way.

"Hey look at all the ANBU, Mama!" said a little boy she had just passed. Kushina looked behind her to see all the ANBU in the air. Looking for her, of course. She had now made it out of the busy street, but she as she began to look in front of her she ran into someone. "OW!" they both said in unison as they his the ground.

"Sorry... I wasn't looking where I was going.." Kushina apologized then glanced at the person who she ran into. To her surprise, it was Minato. As she starred at him she began to blush. He looked to be getting ready to head out on a mission.

As soon as she had spoken Minato knew who it was. "No, it's okay." he replied as he weakly stood up. He had endured quite a blow. "They let you out of the hospital already?" he asked curiously as he helped her up. "Well they didn't put up much of a fight to keep me there." she answered vaguely. Minato sighed and shook his head. "You ran away, didn't you?" he asked, disappointed. Kushina nodded. "Yep." she replied casually.

"You should go back quickly." he ordered.

"Why?"

"People are going to worry about you!"

"No one ever worries about me. I can take care of myself."

Minato had wanted to reply to that but decided against it so he stayed quiet. He wanted to tell her that he worried about her all the time, and wasn't sure how capable she was of taking care of herself after she got kidnapped only two nights ago. He knew he couldn't force her to go back and felt defeated for the first time in awhile. If he was talking to anyone else this would be no problem at all.

Just then Minato and Kushina heard ANBU talking. "This way!" "I think she went over here!" some said as they came closer. Kushina gasped and did a transformation jutsu and became a bowl of ramen. Minato caught her before she could fall to the ground and break.

"Ah! Minato!" called one of the ANBU men that apparently knew him. Minato looked up, puzzled, and replied, "Yes?" Because the ANBU was wearing a mask he couldn't tell if he knew him or not, but he had a feeling he did. But then again, he knew a lot of people.

"Have you seen Uzumaki Kushina?" he asked. Minato blinked and looked down at the bowl of ramen(her) and wondered how he should answer. After a quick moment of thinking he looked back at the ANBU and nodded. "Yes, I just saw her and told her to go back to the hospital. She should be there soon." he replied.

"Really?" the man asked. Minato nodded and gave him his best smile, "Yep!" he replied.

Satisfied with his answer the man went back to his group and told them the news. Once they were out of sight Minato put Kushina on the ground before she turned back to normal.

"Phew! Thanks, Minato." she said with a grin. "No problem. Now please go back to the hospital so that we both don't get in trouble, okay?" he said with a polite smile and began to walk away.

"What?" Kushina yelled, startling Minato, "I'm not going back there! I'm fine! I don't need to be in there a whole week!" she argued. Minato quietly turned around and walked back to her. He looked very serious.

"Kushina, Konoha is in the middle of a serious problem right now. I'm going to try to be helping all I can, but I can't be of any use if I'm worrying about you the whole time. So please go back to the hospital and be safe." he said seriously, but gently. He wasn't mad or anything, he was just worried about her. "Please?" he pleaded. Kushina frowned. "How long will you be gone?" she asked. Minato shrugged, "For my current mission? Hmm... It could be three to seven days, I guess.." he replied.

"Fine. I'll stay at the hospital until you get back. Fair enough?" she said, finally giving in. Minato smiled. "Yes. Thank you." he replied, feeling victorious. "But if you get kidnapped I'm breaking out again and coming after you, got it?" she added, obviously not happy with the fact she had to go back to the hospital.

"Yes. Thank you, and don't worry, I'll be _very_ careful." he said with a confident smile and turned to leave. He waved to her before joining up with his team outside the gate.

"Who said I was worried?" Kushina said quietly as she watched him leave.

On her way back to the hospital Kushina came across a group of girls her age crying. She was going to ignore them, but then she heard them saying "Minato" through their sobs. She stopped upon hearing his name and looked back at them. She sighed and decided to ask them what they were crying about.

Gently putting her hand on one of the girls' shoulders she asked, "What's going on? Why are you all crying?" The girls tried to calm down, but only one managed to say "Minato is on a dangerous mission!" she cried. Kushina blinked almost expressionlessly. "Isn't he always?" she asked. "Exactly." said a voice from behind her. Kushina looked over and saw Fugaku standing there. "He's always out on dangerous missions, so why is this any different?" he added. Kushina nodded in agreement and looked back at the girls. "B-but... What if he gets kidnapped? Or worse... killed..." one girl said and they all sobbed at the horrible thought.

Kushina frowned at the thought of Minato dying. Fugaku just sighed. "Minato won't die yet." Fugaku said confidently. "How do you know? Even the hokage said it was dangerous!" one girl asked. "Because he has goals. If I know Minato, and I do, he won't die until he accomplishes them. That's how I know." he explained, making the girls cry more. "Plus, he's strong. I doubt he'll die." Kushina said bluntly.

As the girls dried their eyes, now feeling a bit better, one looked at Fugaku and asked, "What kind of goals does he have?" Fugaku glanced at the girl, then thought for a moment. "Hmm... Well, he wants to protect this village, become a sensei and have his own team, become hokage... and..." Fugaku trailed off at the end. "Aaaannndddd?" the girls said in unison. Even Kushina was interested in hearing it, but she didn't show it. "Come to think of it... wasn't I going somewhere?" she asked herself quietly as all the girls were distracked. She tried to remember as Fugaku continued to pause for effect.

"Well, if Minato knew I told you the last goal he would kill me!" Fugaku laughed. "Awww! Can't you please tell us? Please?" all the girls said. "Right, right... None of you would care if he killed me." he said sadly. "Yep. Time to face the facts, Fugaku." Kushina said with an evil grin. "Shut up, Kushia..." Fugaku pouted angrily.

"Say... Does Minato plan on getting married someday?" one of the girls asked curiously, getting all the others excited. "Yes, he does." Fugaku replied bluntly as he was caught off guard, then paniced as the girls crowded again. "Does he have anyone in mind?" "Who is she?" "Is it me?"

Fugaku mentally slapped himself for giving away Minato's last goal. Luckily, they hadn't figured all of it out yet. "No, I'm sorry to tell you this, but it's none of you." he said and looked at all the girls.. except Kushina, of course.

Once the girls _FINALLY_ left Fugaku sighed. "Remind me never to talk to a crowd of girls again, Kushina..." he said tiredly. "Mhmm..." Kushina replied lazily as she stared at the gate where Minato had left only a few minutes ago. "What'cha looking at?" he asked, but she made no reply. "Or should I say.. Who are you waiting for to come back?" he asked slyly. Kushina glanced at him with a slight glare, but then looked to the ground sadly. "What's wrong?" he asked once more.

"Nothing..." she sighed and walked away. What those girls had said earlier was starting to haunt her already worried heart.

She eventually went back to the hospital that day and turned herself in quietly as she continued to fear for the worst for Minato. About three rainy days passed by in that quiet and boring hospital. As the days dragged on Kushina felt less and less hopeful. She would sometimes pace around the room, but other than that she would just lay in bed bored out of her mind. That afternoon she decided to get up and sit by the window for a change.

She sat there, just starring out the window, for a long time. Soon night came and it was pitch black outside. It reminded her of the night her village and family were attacked and everyone, but her, was killed... Why was she the only one to survive? She was told by a few people(very few people) that she was blessed for being alive and that maybe something great will come from her life someday.

"But what good could come from a jinchuriki?" she asked herself in a whisper. Then she slowly drifted off to sleep by the window.

When Kushina finally opened her eyes the sky was clear, morning had come, and the sun had just started spreading it's light everywhere. It was a beautiful sight to see. She had only taken her gaze off of the sky for a moment to look down at the people coming to work at the hospital, but then someone caught her attention. She saw Minato coming! He was alive!

"Thank heaven..." she said softly and sighed with a feeling of relief, and tears in her eyes. She watched him walked contentedly towards the building.

Just then Minato happened to look up at her window and see her. He smiled and waved to her. Kushina grinned and waved back happily.

_It was a happy reunion that day, but the path ahead would show how important those reunions and memories would be._

_His last goal, the one most important to him, was to marry Kushina. And that was also becoming Kushina's goal._

_And just because she was a jinchuriki didn't mean nothing good could come from her. On the contrary, something amazing would come from her someday._

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><p><strong>You all wanted more Minato and Kushina so I wrote this up for you all! X3<strong>

**I don't have a very big knowledge of what was going on in the politics of the ninja world at the time but I assume that Konoha(or at least some of it's people) were not too happy that another village was trying to steal their precious Kushina. So I sent Minato out on a dangerous mission which I will probably give more detail on next time. :P**

**I seriously love the idea of all the future naruto kids' parent being friends and stuff. XD And I can't wait to bring in the Ino-Shika-Cho dudes in the next chapter! :D Plenty more Minato and Kushina to come so stay tuned! X3**

****Ya know, it's times like now I wonder how long this fanfic is going to be... XD

**Hugs and cake,**

**~_Panda-chiiii_**


	4. Extra: It's A Date

**Some of you wanted to know what happened after the end of chapter 3. I honestly wasn't going to write this part, but then I had a change of heart... Or something.**

**So here it is: Chapter 3.5! XD**

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><p>Minato had just come back from a rather tiring and-he had to admit, tough mission. When he got back he hadn't cared how exhausted he felt, and before he could wake up from his already dazed mind he was at the hospital. He hadn't realized it was dawn until he saw Kushina looking at the outside from her window. The morning sun made her look even more beautiful than he remember her being.<p>

_'Looks like she stayed...'_ he thought, and after they had exchanged waves and smiles he decided he couldn't wait any longer to talk to her.

He jumped up onto a tree branch that perched him right by her window. Minato smiled, which to others felt like the sun was beaming right at them, but soon frowned as he stared at her.

"Are you feeling okay?" he asked worriedly. Kushina looked puzzled as she answered, "Yes... I'm fine?" adding that last part in after he didn't seem to believe her. She hadn't noticed that her cheeks had turned slightly pink, and Minato had already thrown out the idea that she could be blushing. _'Why would she be blushing anyways?'_ he reasoned with himself and continued to worry.

"Are you sure?" he questioned, to which Kushina huffed and replied angrily, "I'm _fine_, Minato! I've been waiting in this hospital the whole time you've been gone and you're worried about _me_? You're the one that just got back from a mission, right? I should be asking if you are okay!"

"Oh, well, yeah... I'm fine." he said softly, smiling at her once more. "G-good... Um, did the mission go well?" she replied quickly, trying not to turn her face the same color as her hair by starring at him.

Minato's smiled disappeared when the question was asked, and he quietly nodded as if there wasn't much to be said about it.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, sounding more intimidating than worried now. No one had told her a single thing about the new war that had broken out since before she had last seen him, and she wasn't going to wait around until someone felt like telling her.

"No, no, no!" he protested, feeling nervous as she glared at him. "I just remembered that I have to report to the hokage about the mission later, that's all! I don't really enjoy doing that obviously, so..." he explained and drifted off as soon as she seemed satisfied with his reply.

He sighed as he thought about it more. Usually they wouldn't send someone his age to give the report, but Minato was special. Despite his dislike for this task, he knew people counted on him to use his special memory abilities to report very descriptive recaps on the difficult missions he was often sent on.

He was able to provide the hokage with the information that others-even ANBU, would sometimes miss. He wasn't perfect, but whatever was in his memory stayed clearly, and that's just what the higher ups needed. And, if it would keep the people he loved safe, he would give as many crazy long reports as need be.

"Well, since you're back now," she went on, changing the subject, "can I leave the hospital?" Minato nodded in reply and smiled upon seeing joy fill her face. "Yay!" she cheered and ran off to another part of the room to change. Minato stayed where he was on the tree branch, but relaxing more, as he waited for her to return.

After a few minutes she came back, and would've dashed out the door if she hadn't seen he was still there. She returned to the window and poked her head out. Once he noticed her he smiled, but curiously studied her face which seemed to be considering if she should say what was on her mind or not.

Finally she spoke. "When are you giving your report to the hokage?" she inquired. Minato sighed at her question as his eyes fell to stare at the ground below, then starred out towards where the hokage lived. "Probably now..." he said, then he paused and looked back at her before continuing, "Why do you ask?"

"No reason," was her simple reply before further questioning, "How long will it take?" Minato groaned slightly as he thought about how much time it would take to tell the hokage everything down to the last detail. "I'd say... Until lunch time?" he guessed, giving her a puzzled stare with his deep blue eyes. Kushina began to avert her eyes in every other direction as she continued.

"Well I spent all the money I had earned before getting kidnapped-And before you say anything I want to point out that I was going to be earning more the next day... which instead was spent at the hospital..." she rambled. Minato still wasn't sure what she was trying to get at. She took a deep breath before finally asking, "So what I'm asking is: Do you have any money?"

"Yeah, I always do."

"So can you buy me lunch?"

"What?" he asked, almost falling off the branch he had been relaxing on. _'Would that count as a date?'_ he wondered before shaking that thought out. He could tell Kushina was about to repeat her previous sentence but Minato quickly spoke before he even knew what he was saying. "Well, yeah, sure I could."

Kushina grinned. "Really? Thanks! I'll meet you at the Ichiaku Ramen shop when you're done. Oh, and I promise it's just this once, okay?" Minato nodded, "Okay, see you later," and jumped down and headed to where the hokage was waiting for him.

He also made a mental promise to himself that it defiantly would not be the only time he takes her out to lunch.

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><p><strong>Well, I hope you liked that. :)<strong>

**The next chapter will have more of Minato's perspective(which is always nice) and he will be hanging out with his best friends: Inoichi, Choza, and Shikaku! :D**

**I'm really excited to write out the next chapter, but I'm afraid it'll be awhile before I write it. :(**

**Please look forward to it!**

**Hugs and cake,**

_**Panda-chiiii**_


	5. Discussion at the Cafe

**Okay, before we get this started I want the only person who's reviewed this fanfic as "Guest"(If you are not Guest than you are free to scroll down and read the chapter. XD) to message me so I can hug(virtually of course) and love you. I love every review I get, but I had randomly decided to see if there were any new reviews/comments on this fanfic tonight and saw what you, Guest, had said and I thought it was so sweet. :)**

**It really warmed my heart and brightened my day. You said you were my biggest fan and when I read that I wanted to hug you so badly I hugged the computer screen. I honestly didn't think I was capable of having fans! XD And even if you didn't mean that part it still made me happy to read it. :P If you don't want me to know who you are and don't message me I'm sure you have your reasons, but please know that you made me really REALLY happy! **

**Also, if _ANY_ of you(that are still reading this out of curiosity) ever want to give me ideas, or just talk, feel free to! :D I love every one of you guys and I want to make suse that this fanfic is enjoyable and doesn't become boring. XD**

**Okay I've rambled long enough. Go and read!**

_As a side note: I am sorry to those who wanted to read about their ramen shop lunch date. I wanted to focus more on Minato and what he does when he's not on a dangerous mission or thinking about Kushina... Which he arguably(probably) does more than anything. ;)_

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><p>After finishing lunch with Kushina, which pleasantly spent an hour of his time(and lots of his money), Minato headed over to a cafe, just beyond town square on a hill, where his friends ate. Every day that they weren't on a mission, they would usually be there.<p>

Most would tell them that they should spend more time training than eating and spending half of their day at that one cafe, but they always insisted that they were coming up with new "training strategies" and were, in fact, not wasting their time.

Minato sighed once he opened the door, he had spotted them right away. His three friends were sitting at their usual table, and also as usual they were eating. One of course ate more than the other two could eat in two days.

Minato mentally did a head-count for his own amusment as he made his way over to them. First off, Inoichi Yamanaka, was eating some rice, but his eyes were always averted to every girl that passed by. One in particular he always smirked at. Inoichi wasn't a flirt, or so he claimed... His excuse was that he was just searching for the right girl...All the time, is what Minato would point out.

Since he never seemed to pay attention to his food it often fell out of grasp before he got it into his mouth. Also, while he wasn't looking, his two friends would sneak their chopsticks into his bowl and capture some rice for themselves.

Second, Choza Akimichi, who was currently devouring a whole bowl-well, more like pot full of soup. Judging by the food on his face, Minato noted, it was chicken noodle soup. Choza had once explained to Minato that he liked this cafe best because it was an all you can eat, the food was better than his own mother's cooking (which was always beyond amazing by the way), and the girl of his dreams worked there.

Inoichi was ordered by him to never flirt with said girl, or stare at her with the expression he had when he looked at every single girl in sight. Inoichi happily said he wouldn't since that meant it was one less girl off the list, meaning he would be closer to finding the girl he would one day marry.

Third was Shikaku Nara. He was the lazy man of the group, and always asked for a donut and coffee. Lots of coffee because he would be sitting down next to Choza for hours until his friend's stomach was, at least, satisfied.

There wasn't much else to say about him except that he was often the voice of reason, if Minato wasn't around, and was also the smartest man on their team... At least Choza thought so. Inoichi would always disagree with him on this matter, and Shikaku would just let them argue until both returned to their usual habits. Thus ending the argument.

"Hey guys, how long have you been here so far?" Minato said, his face showed he was still amused with their never failing habit of sitting there for so long. Inoichi waved, Choza most likely said "hi" (Minato really couldn't tell since he had his mouth full), and Shikaku greeted Minato with a simple "hey" before he glanced outside lazily. Then rolled his eyes back to Minato's amused face and replied "Four hours."

Minato looked surprised, and jokingly replied, "Wow, you guys are really behind today." He sat down next to Inoichi who had made room for him on his bench. "Well today our sensei tried to get us to train this morning. About 5 minutes in Shikaku and I gave up- but for different reasons... mine being hunger. Anyways, we tried escaping but he chased us all over town until we finally out ran him and arrived here. I've been eating ever since." Choza explained, then took a huge bite into the full sized turkey he had beside his now empty pot of soup that Minato hadn't noticed until now.

"Wow, sounds exhausting." Minato replied tiredly, feeling rather exhausted himself. He knew he wanted to talk to them about his mission, but he knew the main reason he was here was because he could relax around them. No other group of friends made you feel any more relaxed than they did.

"Yeah, it was pretty tiring, but I bet that old man is doing worse than we are right now." Inoichi commented, not sounding at all sympathetic as he gazed after another girl that passed by. "Probably..." Minato replied.

"So I heard you went on another ANBU mission, Minato," Shikaku said before he yawned, then he continued, "How'd that go?" Minato nodded, taking Shikaku's coffee (which hadn't been touched until now) with a teasing smile on his face as he drank it to wake up. His friend seemed more annoyed with his facial expression than the fact he had taken his coffee.

"Do you use that same smirk on Kushina yet?"

Minato almost spit out the coffee, but instead he just choked on it and coughed for about a minute.

"Of course I don't!" was his reply while his face showed a twist of embarrassed and anger as he glared at his now smirking friend. Shikaku's smirk grew as he said, "Not yet, right?"

Minato shook his head and cleared his throat. "Anyways, as for the mission, it was interesting..." was Minato's only comment on the matter. Shikaku raised his eyebrow after hearing the vague reply. The teasing smirk on his face lest as he crossed his arms, which showed he was more built than the last time Minato had seen him.

'Looks like these guys still work more than they let on...' Minato thought as he glanced at Inoichi, and had just noticed his built arms as well. Choza still looked like himself, which was what he was supposed to look like anyway. No real change was to be seen unless it was the size of his stomach.

"So your sensei hasn't come to get you yet?" Minato questioned, turning back to Shikaku. His friend only shrugged in reply before Choza popped back into the conversation as he had just finished his turkey, "Well, sensei is wise enough to know that it takes more than just him and my teammates to drag me away from my food." he pointed out with a grin. "Among other things." he added before continuing his meal.

Minato laughed at this, "That's true. I remember about a year ago I was dragged into helping your sensei get you away from your breakfast." he commented before adding with a chuckle, "I think that was a harder task than any of the ANBU missions I've been on."

"Oh yeah, I remember that..." Inoichi groaned at the memory, "That was awful." Choza laughed at his friend's clear agony at the memory. "It was probably our first S rank mission." Shikaku joked.

As the three teammates laughed, Minato noticed someone talking over to their table. It was a girl he didn't recognize. She had long brown hair pulled back into a pony-tail, a few small strands framing her face. Her eyes looked black as night, and she wore a red shirt along with the other usual ninja fittings.

"Uh..." he began, but shut his mouth when he noticed the girl seemed angry. He would laugh about this later, but his first thought was that she was Inoichi's ex-girlfriend. He did have one, but he didn't talk about her. All he told them was that her name was Mebuki.

"Excuse me," she said with grit teeth, sounding a little more angry than polite. Shikaku immediately flinched from hearing the voice behind him. Inoichi just glanced over at her, staring at her indifferently for a short time.

"What is it, Yoshino?" he asked. Shikaku turned slightly in his seat to see her. Choza smiled at her before returning to his third dish. Which was a plate full of mashed potatos covered with gravy. Minato looked confused, but made a mental note that she was not Inoichi's ex since her name was different than the one he told them... Although he could have been lying when he told them Minato trusted he had told them the truth.

"You should know very well why I'm here." she said and sighed angrily. Inoichi continued to stare apathetically. She glared at him harshly before replying, "Your sensei sent me here to get you again, of course! I wouldn't be here otherwise because I have better things to do than hang around you idiots."

"Well that's really too bad because the food here is excellent!" Choza replied with his mouth full but not full enough that you couldn't understand him. Yoshino only sighed and shook her head. "Yes, I'm sure it is, but I don't get paid as much as you guys do so I can't afford to eat here." she said, and Minato noted that she sounded a little envious.

"So why doesn't the old man ever come and get us?" Shikaku asked, Sending someone else to do his work sounds like something I'd do." Yoshino shrugged at this, and then Choza spoke up while his mouth was rarely not filled, "Didn't you guys know?"

Everyone looked over at him curiously. "Guess not..." he sighed and went on, "Sensei's ex runs this cafe. She's forbidden him from ever coming back or coming within twenty feet of this building." Inoichi laughed, but Shikaku only replied with a sigh and a "should have known."

"Anyways, you guys need to get up and meet him about fifty feet outside the exit." Yoshino reminded them, but no one moved. "Now." she said in an angry tone once again.

Choza quickly got up upon hearing her tone and ran out the door. "Well at least one of you guys is smart." she said in a low voice as she watched him return to his teacher. Then she turned back to the other two and said, "Who's next?"

With an angry sigh Inoichi was next to get up and walk out the door. Only Shikaku and Minato remained at the table now.

"Are you going or not?" she asked, glaring down at him, but he didn't look at her. All he did was stare silently at the cup of coffee that had been his until Minato had taken it. "Shikaku, don't make this hard on both of us." He still said nothing.

Yoshino sighed and shook her head. Then she grabbed him forcfully by the back of his shirt collar, dragged him out of his chair, and out of the cafe. As Minato watched Shikaku get dragged away he saw him smirk and wave at him. Minato smiled and shook his head before waving back.

"Um, excuse me..." said a voice from the other direction. Minato turned and saw a waitress with long, light brown hair. "Yes?" was his reply. "Did Choza and his friends leave?" she asked a little shyly. Minato nodded. "Well, uh... They didn't pay for the food yet..." she explained. Minato's eyes widened for a moment, then glared to the door before pulling out his wallet.

'Well there goes the rest of my money...' was his thought as he left soon after.

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><p><strong>There you have it! Sorry about the lack of Kushina, but she'll be active in the next one rather than just being mentioned. ;) Along with some other characters that I want to tease them both. :P<strong>

**The next chapter will probably show some training scene with others hanging out and watching(and talking to either Minato or Kushina about the other~).**

**Hopfully everything will turn out okay. XD**

**Thanks again SO MUCH for all the sweet compliments in your reviews! :) You all don't know how happy you make me by doing that. So seriously thank you! :D**

**_Lots_ of hugs and cake,**

_**~Panda-chiiii**_


	6. Plans Being Made

**Thanks again SO MUCH for all the kind reviews, you sweeties! :D Sorry this took awhile to get out, and I'm sorry it's short. The next one will hopefully be longer... and maybe more action in it. We'll see. ;P**

**Anyways, hope you enjoy! :3**

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><p>It was after noon now, and Minato was quietly reading a book in the shade of a tree. Meanwhile his friends, Inoichi, Shikaku, and Choza were training with their sensei a little ways off.<p>

"Wow, how long did it take him to get them to train?"

Minato glanced up from his book and saw his best friend, Fugaku. The Uchiha boy flopped down next to him under the tree behind them, and tried to peek at what he was reading.

"Don't know, I didn't bother to keep track, but I know it was a long time. Even after they got here he was lecturing them for awhile... Not like they need it though," Minato said while lending his friend a peek. Fugaku looked very confused as he tried to understand what the book was explaining, but he obviously got nothing out of it.

"Still think they're smarter than they let on?" Fugaku questioned as he gave up on trying to understand his friend's book and laid back against the tree.

"Yes, I do. When it comes down to the facts they're probably going to be the hardest team to beat out of all the genin this time around." Minato pointed out, also laying back against the tree as he continued to read.

Fugaku groaned after contemplating what Minato meant, "Ugh, you're right... Their gonna be a big pain in the chuunin exams," he complained, "I hope I get the same scroll as they do so that they'll just leave me alone."

"I agree, although I have confidence I could take any of them in a one-on-one match, I don't think my teammates could take the other two while I do so." Minato said matter-of-factly, "And, before you argue, I know Mikoto is very strong, and even clever when she wants to be, but taking on any of those three boys would be a major challenge for her."

"Hey, I wasn't going to argue with that! I think I be scared out of my wits if I knew she was fighting one of them." Fugaku said, slightly shuddering at the very thought of it. Minato smirked, not taking his eyes off the book, and said in a teasing voice, "I'm sure you would."

Fugaku growled slightly before saying in almost a whisper, "You don't even have to say it anymore. I know what you're thinking." Minato's smirked grew more teasingly as he glanced over at his now pouting friend, "Do you now?"

He nodded, "You're thinking 'Aww how sweet he's sooo in love with her,' right?" Minato grinned and nodded. Fugaku only frowned before turning his gaze back to the Ino-Shika-Cho team that was getting yelled at their sensei for their laziness... Again. "Well you could be a _little_ less stubborn about it," Minato said, still starring at his friend.

Fugaku sighed heavily, "I'm not being stubborn, Minato, which is more than I can say for _y__ou_," he said eyeing him teasingly, Minato glared and turned back to his book as Fugaku went on more seriously, "But I just... I-"

"Hey guys!" said Mikoto, who had appeared out of no where it seemed.

"AH!" Fugaku yelped and knocked his elbow into Minato's head by accident. "Ow." was all Minato said in reaction.

"Oh, sorry! I didn't mean to surprise you!" she quickly apologized and sat down with them. "Oh, i-it's f-fine..." Fugaku managed to get out, still shocked and wondering where she had come from and when exactly she got there.

"So what were you guys talking about?" she asked curiously. "Nothing important " Minato said with a yawn as he continued to read. Mikoto narrowed her eyes slightly at him, "So what's the book about?"

"Just jutsu, hand sighs, and other stuff that isn't really catching my interest unless it's going to be of any help in my project." Minato explained, not changing his bored tone. "Ohh, you're still working on that project? Nothing's worked yet?" she continued to ask, Minato only nodded this time.

"What project?" Fugaku asked, clueless between the two teammates. Mikoto grinned at him, "It's a secret!" she said cheerfully. Fugaku frowned, "Why?" Mikoto's grin remained as she said matter-of-factly, "Because the chuunin exams are coming up Jiraiya-sensei told us not to share any plans or projects we might have in mind with _anyone_."

"Oh, so it's something I should be worried about?" he asked, raising a brow curiously. "Well, if he figures out how to get it to work, yes." she answered, only slightly losing the confidence she had before.

It was quiet for only a moment before Mikoto brought up a new topic, "So have either of you seen Kushina recently?" she asked curiously. Minato looked up from his book, his attention obviously caught, but answered, "No, not since a few hours ago."

"Well I just saw her before coming over here," Fugaku replied, getting his crush's attention once again, "We were about to leave on a mission until an ANBU stopped us and told her that the hokage wanted to see her."

"Why?" both Minato and Mikoto asked at the same time. Fugaku shrugged, "I really have no clue. All I know is that now I've got nothing to do for the rest of the day."

And, as if on cue, an ANBU suddenly jumped out of the tree and landed in front of them. All three of the kids nearly jumped up and screamed, but of course they did not, for they were ninjas. And ninjas don't jump and scream... or at least these three ninjas don't. All they did was stare wide-eyed at the man in front of them.

"Minato Namikaze," the ANBU spoke, and Minato replied with a simple, "Yes?" The three ninja could tell that this ANBU hadn't met Minato before since he used his full name, instead of just 'Minato' like the other ANBU did that had been on missions with him and such. The man continued, "The hokage wishes to see you immediately."

"Alright, thank you," Minato said as he handed his book to Mikoto for safe-keeping, "I'll go at once." With that said the ANBU nodded and left. "Wow, I didn't think there was a single ANBU you hadn't been on a mission with yet. Apparently there was one!" Fugaku said jokingly. "Yeah, remember our bet?" Minato said with a smirk to his friend as he got up.

Fugaku groaned, "Enlighten me," he said sarcastically through gritted teeth. "I don't have time for that right now, so in short: you owe me thirty bucks." Fugaku glared, "You sure it was thirty?" Minato nodded, so he sighed and pulled some money out and handed it to him.

With a nod and satisfied "thank you" Minato left the remaining two ninja at the tree. Fugaku sighed and looked gloomily at his wallet. "Guess I'm eating with my parents tonight..." he sighed and tucked his wallet away.

Mikoto blinked, quite confused, at him. "Is that a bad thing?" she asked worriedly. "Nah, not really," he replied, but still had a frown on his face that said he really thought otherwise.

Fugaku sighed, "So what do you think he got called for?" Not missing a beat she replied, "Probably some highly ranked mission that the ANBU will accompany him on" Fugaku noted that she sounded a little bored. "Why does he get sent on those anyways? He's only a genin, and still training for the chuunin exams like the rest of us!" Fugaku pointed out, crossing his arms.

"He's Minato, not just some genin," she said before explaining better, "What I mean is that the hokage has picked him to be a forth hokage candidate as of a few months ago. That's why he's been gone so much recently."

"Oh," Fugaku replied, not having much to say after that statement. "Honestly, it's a miracle he was here when Kushina got kidnapped." she continued, obviously sad to even remember the time her best friend was captured.

Fugaku frowned, "How did he find her anyways?" Mikoto pondered his question for a moment, before replying with a teasing smile, "I dunno... Maybe he has something build inside his head that tells him when Kushina is in trouble?" she joked. Fugaku rolled his eyes.

"But seriously, no one has a clue how he did it. He's never explained it."

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><p><em><strong>Meanwhile, at the hokage's office...<strong>_

The ninja in question had just arrived at the hokage's door. He wasn't sure what was going on, and at first he thought it was just another mission... "But right after just getting back from one?" he thought before arriving.

So after a deep breath, prepared for whatever he thought it might be, he pushed the door open. First person he saw was not the hokage, but Kushina.

Minato blinked. "Uh...?" he spoke, at a loss for words at that moment. As Kushina noticed his voice and turned to look at him, he noticed she had been shaking hands with another ninja. It was a boy, probably his age, and he had red hair like Kushina.

He also noticed, after Kushina turned a little, that the hokage was in fact in the office and sitting in his usual spot behind his big desk.

"Come in, Minato," the hokage said with a smile, "Thank you for coming so quickly." Minato nodded and closed the door behind him after entering, though his eyes focused on the three people in front of him.

"Do you remember Kizashi Haruno?" the hokage questioned. Minato assumed that the boy in question was the one that had been shaking hands with Kushina only a moment ago. "I've heard of him, sir, but I don't think I've gotten the chance to meet him yet." he answered and walked closer to the group.

"Well, now you have!" said the other boy, Kizashi, as he stuck his hand out to shake with a big grin on his face. Minato smiled and shook his hand, "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise, my friend!" Kizashi said happily. After that they turned back to the hokage and waited for him to explain what they were all doing here. "Especially Kushina..." Minato thought.

"Now that you three are here I will explain your mission."

Everyone gave him stern looks. The air was still and tense. If you were specifically called to the hokage's office and given a mission, you could expect it to be tough. "Before I do that, though, I need to explain why you three are going to be on this mission. This will hopefully help answer your 'why us' questions later when I explain the mission." They all nodded and waited for him to continue.

"Two of you know that you are forth hokage candidates."

Minato looked surprised. "Yes, there were two of you, and as of now there are three of you." he went on and smiled proudly. Minato thought his heart had stopped. "Three?" Kushina repeated, obviously still confused. "Yes," he confirmed, "_You_ three."

"What?!" Kushina gasped. "I've picked all three of you to be candidates for the future position as the fourth hokage. I see all three of you as strong and worthy ninja," he explained, still smiling. "B-but we're not even chuunin yet!" Kushina pointed out obviously, still shocked at the news. "True, but it's always good to choose when the ninja are young so that they can know their goals from that point on."

"Such as?" Kizashi asked curiously. "Well, the mission I'm about to give you for one thing. Then of course there are the chuunin exams coming up, and then more missions that I will eventually send you on if all goes well..." he explained, drifting off slightly. The young ninja felt a little nervous after that last part.

"Why did you pick us? ...More specifically me." Kushina asked, looking down at the floor after saying that last part. "Well, for starters you a strong, and of course smart. You are a very ambitious and determined girl, and you care about the village." Kushina grimaced at the last part. The hokage frowned, "Do you not?" he asked. "Of course I do!" she answered without missing a beat, "It's just... I don't think anyone would want me as their hokage..." she said sadly as she starred at the ground again.

"I wouldn't mind..." Minato thought, blushing only slightly when he realized his embarrassing thoughts and thanked the heavens he hadn't said it outloud.

"Kushina," the hokage began, getting Kushina to look back up, "Right now it doesn't matter who does or who does not want you as their hokage. Right now you are in the stage where you prove that you're going to try anyway," he said firmly but gently. Kushina smiled and nodded.

"Alright, now about the mission..."

The air seemed to get thicker all of a sudden.

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><p><strong>Oooh~<strong> **Wonder what the mission will be? ;)**

**Don't worry, I plan on having a lot more Kushina and Minato stuff in the next chapter. No kissing of course(they're probably still embarrassed about that :P), but some sweet stuff. :3**

**Well, maybe more drama than sweet, but sweetness will find a way to appear somehow. :P**

**Okay I'll stop there and hope you'll look forward to it. XD**

**Hugs and cake,**

_**~Panda-chiiii**_


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